With everything fine at home, Beth got in her car and drove the same way she used to drive once she got her license. Outside his ranch, she studied the signposts that led up the driveway. Stretched across the top in large lettering, it said: JL Ranch atop a smaller sign that read Lawton Ranching Supplies. He used to talk about leaving this small town and never coming back. She was proud that he stayed and made a name for himself. Jake had always had the drive to succeed. Dust hadn’t yet settled on the road. Maybe he had arrived this minute himself.

Driving up the road, she was amazed at what he had done. He took an old house and made it appear brand new—even the front facing had been redone, plus he’d added a large porch. A lump caught in her throat. As she glanced to the right, there sat a small barn, but through a clearing between that and the main house, she spotted the old, red barn—the paint no longer faded. Her throat tightened, trying to push a lump down. “He kept it.”

The front door opened. Jake pushed the screen then skipped down the steps to her car. “Beth. Wow. What are you doing here? I mean, I’m glad you’re here, but… You found my place.” He turned to look back at the house.

What had she been thinking? She lifted her palms to her cheeks. “I’m sorry I should’ve called.”

“No, well, my wife is leaving later tonight, and she came to see Trace. The last farewell for a while so to speak, I guess. The boyfriend is waiting for her at her condo. They’re flying out in his little piss-ass plane.” Jake backed up, and his hands sliced through the air. “I can’t believe she actually took my son up in it. I’m sorry, that got away from me. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all while behaving like a sane person instead of a maniac.”

“Trace?” She peered up into his puppy dog eyes and smiled, saying softly, “You named your son Trace?”

Jake grinned. “You remembered. Yeah, I named my first kid Trace J. Just an initial. Sometimes I call him T.J.”

“Of course I remember. The name we had picked out for our first…” She had to get out of there. He never forgot. “I’m leaving. Go have dinner.” Beth put her car in reverse.

“Wait, Beth. Can you come back tonight?”

“Umm, I don’t know.” Her heart beat as fast as baby bird wings flapped. Her palms sweat. “I don’t know. I’ll call first if I do.”

“That’s not necessary.” Jake put his hand on her shoulder. “Come back tonight. I’d love to talk—spend some time…” He backed away as she removed her foot from the brake. “I never forgot us, Beth.”

Omigod. Omigod. “I’ll call you.” When she backed up, the screen door opened, and his son came out onto the porch. What a memory. It was like Jake had done the last day she had been here. Stop staring. Hit the gas pedal! He had stood there not wanting her to leave—his dad holding him back. But, now she was home. “Bye, Jake.” Tears burned in the back of her eyes. What had she started now? Longing for him only made the sight of him harder to bear.

Hey, Everybody! I hope you enjoyed the snippet, which is a little longer than my normal “short” snippets. This is from my brand-new release, which I recently announced to the public. I personally love this scene, but I’ve been in Beth and Jake’s head and they’ve been in mine for over a year now, so I’m kind of sentimental. I hope the world is kind to them. ❤

All y’all enjoy your weekend.

This song reminds me of my Jake and Beth. Writing the end of a book is bittersweet for me. I miss them. When I listen to this video, I smile because I know their story, and I’m sad because I know their story. (Country music ahead.) 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.

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